Protein Smoothies
by Halsteadpd
Summary: Linstead Multi-Chapter? Maybe?


It all started on Friday night.

Erin was out clubbing with some of her coworkers—she was the self-proclaimed DD, wanting to make sure everyone got home safe when she almost didn't make it herself.

She was getting the girls into the car when she felt someone roughly tug on her elbow and grab her purse. She tried to fight back but the masked assailant was much bigger and stronger than her. Being an elementary school teacher meant not having many risks—she also had a fast metabolism so she didn't put on much weight and muscles on her body were close to non-existent.

She tasted blood when the man hit her in the face, she thought she was a goner until she saw one of the bouncers from the club slam the guy to the ground.

For the rest of the weekend she had been shaken up and the bruise covering her right cheek was a sick reminder of what happened. Even in the comfort of her apartment she felt as if someone was going to jump out at her and attack, only this time there wouldn't be a muscular bouncer to come to her aid.

It was time for change.

Erin didn't want to feel weak anymore.

Thankfully it was the summer holidays and all she had was time on her watch. She was going to make a positive difference in her life this vacation.

On Monday morning, Erin called the gym down the street from her apartment, wanting to get in contact with a personal trainer. She spoke to a woman on the phone who told her that she would need to come in for a consultation with her trainer before starting on a program so that he could tailor it based on her needs.

Tuesday morning rolled around and Erin was starting to feel nervous. She had never worked out in her entire life. Sure she went for a run here or there, but the weight room intimidated the _hell _out of her. There was so many different machines and benches that she wouldn't know what to do with all of them. Not only that, but seeing all the toned women with curves and the jacked men who could probably snap her like a twig just made her feel all the more self conscious.

She had half a heart to just skip the gym and cuddle up on her couch to read—wanting the comfort and privacy of her apartment, but Erin was determined.

When she made it to the gym, she sat outside in her car, staring at all the different people coming in and out. Since it was midday it didn't look too busy and she was thankful for that. If there wasn't many people, she could definitely do this.

She made her way into the gym and towards the front desk before letting the attendant know that she was there for an appointment. After being told to wait while he made his way to the desk, Erin took a look into the vast gym.

Not even a minute later, she heard her name being called out by a deep male voice from behind her. When she turned around, she came face to face with the most gorgeous blue eyes. He was wearing a tight t-shirt that had the gym's logo on his left pectoral. His arms fit snug in the short sleeves and she thought about how he could probably rip it if he flexed even a tiny bit. His left bicep also had the edges of a tattoo that she was sure extended onto his shoulder and chest. He wore fitted sweatpants that also showed off the muscles in his legs and Erin found herself speechless to say the least.

"I'm Jay." He held out his hand to shake her own and when she took it, she couldn't help but think about wanting his hands all over her.

"Erin...Lindsay. Erin Lindsay." She stammered.

"Well Erin Lindsay, how about we take a quick tour of the gym before we get started on the consult?"

Jay walked in front of her, showing her the countless pieces of cardio equipment and cable machines before taking her into the free weight section. Erin honestly didn't hear a word come out of his mouth. All she could focus on was the muscles in his back that moved with him as he would move his arms. She had a strong urge to reach out and touch it but not wanting to get off on an awkward foot, she tried her best to listen to what he was saying.

"We don't have separate men's and women's change rooms which I apologize for if that's not something you're comfortable with. We have one universal locker room that everyone including staff use but it's pretty big so it's nice if you're here with friends." Jay said as they made their way back to the front desk and consequently, his office.

He had a small stack of papers in the centre of his desk sitting under a pen. "So, what is your goal? Why do you want to start at the gym and more specifically, why do you think you need personal training?" He asked as he sat down in his chair.

"Well, I was out with some friends Friday night and some guy tried to rob me. I only got out of there relatively unscathed because of the bouncer. But I still have this as evidence." She pointed towards her cheek. "Anyway I just want to get a bit stronger because of that. I want to be able to defend myself."

Jay's eyes darkened when she told him the story of how she was hurt. Who in the right mind would want to attack such an innocent and gorgeous woman like her?! He wanted to hold her and protect her from all the bad things in the world—he just wished he could have five minutes alone with the guy who decided to pick on her. "Okay. Well you've come to the right place."

The consultation took a little over 30 minutes as Jay gathered all the information he needed to make a fitness and diet plan for Erin to follow. Once they were finished, he walked her back to the front door. "So we can start tomorrow, I'll have everything ready by then. I'm generally here Monday through Friday from nine in the morning until six in the evening. I am however booked in the midday and evening time so what time would you like to meet?"

"How about I be your first client of the day?" Erin said with a small smile on her lips.

"Sounds good with me. I'm looking forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrow." A small smile spread across Jay's lips and all Erin wanted to do was grab his stubble cheeks before smashing her mouth onto his.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Erin matched his smile with her own and as she made her way to her car, she realized how hot she felt. That man was doing things to her, and if she wasn't careful, she was sure she'd end up doing something she'd regret.

The next morning, Erin got dressed in her newly purchased workout gear. Jay had texted her the night before, letting her know what to eat for breakfast as it would double up as her pre-workout meal.

She didn't feel as nervous this time around. Maybe it was because she was actually a little bit eager to start on this journey but she knew it was due to the fact that her trainer was insanely hot.

She was excited.

As she got to the gym, she scanned her membership card before heading towards the universal locker room to put her stuff away. When she made her way back outside, she noticed Jay waiting for her, leaning against the wall wearing shorts and another tight t-shirt.

"Good morning!" He greeted her. "Are you ready for this?" He asked as he led her towards the cardio equipment.

"I guess so." Upon seeing her trainer, a nervous pit had formed in Erin's stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. Just because she was going to see a hot guy everyday didn't mean she was going to enjoy being at the gym. All the women around her looked so good compared to her.

"I emailed you a diet plan this morning to follow which should help you put on some weight. It's all about eating more calories than what you burn. I don't really believe in all those diets like keto on a long term basis. Most of my clients have been fine with a calorie counting diet." Erin couldn't help but smile at how passionate he seemed about his job. She was the same way but there was something about the light in his eyes and the smile on his face that made her fall in love a little. "To warm up we'll just do some walking on the treadmill before we hit the weights."

"Wait you're going to be doing this with me, right?" She asked apprehensively as she looked around the gym.

"Would you be more comfortable if I did?" His voice was light and it brought a sense of comfort to her. She bit her lip before slowly nodding. "That's fine with me."

As they walked side by side on two treadmills, Jay gave her the rundown of what they would be doing for the day.

Chest, triceps, cable machines, free weights, dumbbells, EZ curl bar. Erin was started to get confused. She had no idea what Jay was talking about half the time and he must have noticed because he smirked at her shyly before apologizing.

"Do you feel warmed up enough?" He asked as he slowed his treadmill down. Erin nodded her head and mimicked his actions before watching him grab two wipes to wipe down their equipment. "Okay, let's hit the weights."

Jay demonstrated every exercise before allowing Erin to try herself. He helped correct her form when needed and she couldn't help but jump every time she felt his hands on her. They were smooth but rough in some parts and if she was being honest, it turned her on a little.

After an hour, Erin was visibly exhausted. She wasn't sure how she was going to lift her arms for the rest of the day. Jay looked at her empathetically, taking mercy and ending their first session early.

"It's super important for you to refuel with protein and carbs after a workout. Your muscles also need rest to recover so make sure that you get at least seven to nine hours of sleep tonight." He led her towards the change room, walking slow as he noticed her lagging behind. "I can't stress how important it is to get enough protein in though. You're probably going to be super sore in the morning which is normal because we're just waking up some muscles that likely haven't been used for a while."

Erin nodded her head slowly. If she was being honest, she didn't even feel like showing up tomorrow. Overall, she felt good but she could already feel how sore her muscles were going to be in the morning. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She forced a smile on her face and she could tell he saw the lie behind her words.

"I'll see you then."

Erin sat down in her car with a heavy thump. If she was being honest, she could've fell asleep right then and there. She rested her head against her headrest, blindly reaching around to find her water bottle. When she didn't feel it in the cup holder, she rummaged through her gym bag and noticed it wasn't in there. She must have left it in the change room.

As much as she didn't want to go back into the gym, she was thirsty.

So very thirsty.

She went straight to the change room and upon walking in, her jaw dropped to the floor.

Jay stood over his gym bag, his sweaty shirt thrown off beside his bag. Sweat dripped down from his hair onto his toned back that she had marvelled at the day before. She hadn't noticed how toned his ass looked up until now, when she had a great view of it.

He must have felt someone watching him, because he turned around to see her. "Oh, hey. What's up?" He asked casually as he took a towel and dried his hair, making it stick up in all directions.

Erin tried to form a coherent thought but failed as her eyes did a once over of his washboard abs. Subconsciously, she licked her lips before darting her eyes away to the locker she had used.

"I was wondering if this was yours." Jay went to grab her bottle before bringing it back to her. Again, Erin's eyes did a once over of him, focusing more on the tattoo she had seen earlier. It wrapped around his bicep and extended onto his chest, covering half of it.

"Uh, yeah. T-thanks." Erin cleared her throat and shot him a shy smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Jay chuckled to himself as he watched her leave. That wasn't the first time a client had ogled him like that. He was honestly accustomed to the feeling, it wasn't just his clients. It was both men and women on the street, people at the grocery store, even once at his nephew Owen's school.

But this time it felt different. There was just something about Erin that intrigued him. It was the gentle way she carried herself and he was pretty sure he was in love with the way her smile formed. Whatever it was, he hoped that she could muster up the motivation to show up for their second workout.

The next morning, Jay made his rounds through the gym as he usually did. He checked the charge on the AED, emptied out a full garbage can and replenished some of the wipes. As he made his way towards his office, he was surprised to see Erin walk through the door. She looked uncomfortable and was walking in stiffly. She gave him a smile before turning towards the locker room.

When she returned wearing her workout clothing, he asked how she was feeling.

"I feel like everything hurts. I even had protein but I don't think it helped." Erin complained.

"Trust me, the feeling will get better with time. How about we train legs today so your upper body can get some rest?" Jay proposed.

They went through the warm up again before Jay got Erin started on her workout. She had to admit, after a few hours the day before she was feeling amazing. She had more energy and made better choices with her foods. She was determined to be able to keep up with Jay.

At the end of the session, Jay timidly walked her to the locker room. If he was going to shoot his shot, it had to be now. He knew she was determined—showing up again that morning proved it. He admired that. He didn't want her to be just any client of his. There was a click between them and he hoped that she felt it too.

Taking a deep breath, he asked the question that had been on his mind the whole workout. "Well, my morning is actually free since someone cancelled. How about we go grab some protein smoothies? My treat." Jay asked, his confidence wavering. He had always been shy so asking girls out was never one of his strong traits. Over time, it was women asking him out so he never needed to say anything.

Erin smiled as she looked into his sea blue eyes, some nerves evident in her actions. "Protein smoothies sound great."

**This seems like something that should be more than a one shot and I didn't want to leave it hanging so I'll post and add things for when I get around to it. Anyway, leave a review. **


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